There have been few books devoted to the study of phonons, a major area of condensed matter physics. The Physics of Phonons is a comprehensive theoretical discussion of the most important topics, including some topics not previously presented in book form. Although primarily theoretical in approach, the author refers to experimental results wherever possible, ensuring an ideal book for both experimental and theoretical researchers. The author begins with an introduction to crystal symmetry and continues with a discussion of lattice dynamics in the harmonic approximation, including the traditional phenomenological approach and the more recent ab initio approach, detailed for the first time in this book. A discussion of anharmonicity is followed by the theory of lattice thermal conductivity, presented at a level far beyond that available in any other book. The chapter on phonon interactions is likewise more comprehensive than any similar discussion elsewhere. The sections on phonons in superlattices, impure and mixed crystals, quasicrystals, phonon spectroscopy, Kapitza resistance, and quantum evaporation also contain material appearing in book form for the first time. The book is complemented by numerous diagrams that aid understanding and is comprehensively referenced for further study. With its unprecedented wide coverage of the field, The Physics of Phonons will be indispensable to all postgraduates, advanced undergraduates, and researchers working on condensed matter physics.

The Second International Conference on Phonon Scattering in Solids was held at the University of Nottingham from August 27th - 30th 1975. It was attended by 192 delegates from 24 countries who were accompanied by 43 members of their families. Eleven invited papers were read and 96 contributed papers; the contributed papers were in two parallel sessions. The Conference included the topics of the two International Conferences held in France in 1972, in Paris and at Ste Maxime. The Conference brought together workers concerned with many aspects of phonon scattering in solids and liquid helium. Some of the work reported were studies of the intrinsic properties of diel ectric materials such as the effects of anharmonicity, dispersion and anisotropy on phonon propagation and the conditions for the existence of zero sound and second sound modes. Work was also pres ented on various aspects of phonon interaction with free electrons in metals and semiconductors. A substantial part of the Conference was devoted to phonon spectroscopy - investigations of the energy levels of ions or neutral impurities by observing the resonant absorp tion or scattering of phonons. The materials being studied include paramagnetic and parae1ectric solids, amorphous systems in which the 'impurities' appear to be intrinsic, and semiconductors. Work was reported on the use of phonons to observe phase transitions; in some cases the cooperative phase also arises through strong spin phonon coupling. One of the intriguing unsolved problems discussed in detail at the Conference is the Kapitza conductance problem.

The Third International Conference on Phonon Scattering in Condensed Matter was held at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island from August 28-31, 1979. The previous conferences in this series were held at Nottingham in 1975, and in France at Paris and Ste Maxime in 1972. Until about 15 years ago phonon scattering was studied almost exclusively by measurements of thermal conductivity. This approach has the severe limitation that the result obtained for the phonon scattering rate is actually the average of the scattering for all of the phonons in the sample. Thus, no distinction can be made between phonons of different polarization, direction of propagation, or energy. During the 1960's several significant developments occurred. The most important of these was the application by Von Gutfeld and Nethercot of the "heat-pulse" method, previously used only in liquid helium, to the investigation of phonons in crystals. This approach makes possible the study of the propagation and scat tering of phonons of known polarization and propagation direction. The early heat-pulse experiments used phonon generators which pro duced phonons having a broad distribution of energies and, in addi tion, the phonon detectors were sensitive to phonons of all energies.

With contributions by numerous experts

This volume contains the proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Phonon Scattering in Condensed Matter held from August 22-26, 1983 at the University of Stuttgart. The preceding conferences were organized at Saint Maxime and Paris in 1972, at the University of Nottingham in 1975, and at the Brown University Providence/Rhode Island in 1979. The Stuttgart conference, like the preceding conferences, was mainly con cerned with "propagating" high-frequency acoustic phonons, mechanical waves and heat up to the lattice limiting frequency. Lattice dynamics, optical pho nons, phase transitions, etc., were included as far as they are involved in acoustical phonon scattering, propagation and generation. In this context the conference covered all aspects of acoustical phonon physics, especially generation of phonons, propagation, scattering and detection. Since acoustic phonons participate in most energy-transfer processes in solids and liquids, the field of interest is growing rapidly. Therefore exciting new developments of acoustic phonon physics could be presented at the Stuttgart conference as well as important progress with respect to well-known problems, as, for example, the Kapitza resistance. Two hundred and six scientists from 21 countries attended the conference. Thirteen invited papers and 105 contributed papers, with 34 as posters, were presented. The discussions are included in this volume. A discussion session on large wave vector phonons was organized and chaired by V. Narayanamurti. A discussion session on phonon scattering at interfaces was organized and chaired by R.O. Pohl.

Raman scattering is now being applied with increasing success to a wide range of practical problems at the cutting edge of materials science. The purpose of this book is to make Raman spectroscopy understandable to the non-specialist and thus to bring it into the mainstream of routine materials characterization. The book is pedagogical in approach and focuses on technologically important condensed-matter systems in which the specific use of Raman spectroscopy yields new and useful information. Included are chapters on instrumentation, bulk semiconductors and alloys, heterostructures, high-Tc superconductors, catalysts, carbon-based materials, wide-gap and super-hard materials, and polymers.

This is a classic text of its time in condensed matter physics.